ArticleBMJ open2023
Experience of loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study of 50 968 adult Danes.
Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- A genome-wide association study of social trust in 33,882 Danish blood donors.Scientific reports · 2024Pooled it
- Nationwide longitudinal study reveals impact of both national restriction levels and genetic risk factors on loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The Role of Equanimity in Predicting the Mental Well-Being of the Residents in Long-Term Care Facilities in Thailand.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2025Article
- The impact of COVID-19 on physical activity and mental health: A mixed-methods approach.Journal of health psychology · 2025Article
- Meditation Moderates the Relationship between Insecure Attachment and Loneliness: A Study of Long-Term Care Residents in Thailand.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Article
- Music-Making and Depression and Anxiety Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic-Results From the NAKO Cohort Study in Germany.International journal of public health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
17 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo examine the level of loneliness experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark and to identify associated behavioural patterns and demographic factors.
designCross-sectional cohort study.
settingIncludes Danish active and former blood donors.
participantsA questionnaire was sent to 124 307 active and former blood donors, of these a total of 50 968 participants completed the study questionnaire (response rate=41%). PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Subjective experience of loneliness was measured using the 3-item University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA-3). Besides the UCLA-3, the respondents answered items on sociodemographic and economic characteristics, items on precautionary measures taken to avoid COVID-19 infection as well as on COVID-19 anxiety.
resultsThe participants indicated their experienced level of loneliness both before and during the pandemic. Comparing the two reports yielded a mean increase in loneliness scores of 14.1% (p<0.001). Exploratory factor analysis identified the factor
conclusionsThe findings document an increase in the level of experienced loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly affecting individuals with low well-being, women and younger individuals.
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